U.S. patent number 4,228,983 [Application Number 05/965,288] was granted by the patent office on 1980-10-21 for outboard motor locking device.
Invention is credited to John H. Bowman, Jr..
United States Patent |
4,228,983 |
Bowman, Jr. |
October 21, 1980 |
Outboard motor locking device
Abstract
The outboard motor locking device includes a block which is
fixed to the inner wall of the transom of a rowboat and which has a
pair of downwardly extending clamp screw receiving slots that are
adapted to receive the clamping screws of an outboard motor
mounting clamp. Within the block between the slots is a cavity and
an arm is rotatably mounted therein about the midpoint thereof. A
pin is pivotally connected to each end of the arm and each pin is
received in a pin hole which traverses and extends across one of
the slots. A key operated lock is connected to the arm for rotating
the arm to move th pins into and out of latching positions across
the slots for locking the clamp screws within the slots. The
locking device further includes a cover which is pivotally mounted
to one side of the block and is receivable over the outer ends of
the clamp screws and a portion of the outboard motor mounting
clamp. The other side of the cover has a key operated latch member
and the block has a catch member positioned to receive the key
operated latch.
Inventors: |
Bowman, Jr.; John H. (Oak Lawn,
IL) |
Family
ID: |
25509750 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/965,288 |
Filed: |
December 1, 1978 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
248/553; 70/161;
70/232; 70/58 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E05B
73/0076 (20130101); F02B 61/045 (20130101); Y10T
70/5553 (20150401); Y10T 70/5867 (20150401); Y10T
70/5009 (20150401) |
Current International
Class: |
E05B
73/00 (20060101); F02B 61/00 (20060101); F02B
61/04 (20060101); B63H 021/26 (); F16F
015/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;248/553,640
;70/58,232,212,230,56,DIG.58,DIG.56 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Foss; J. Franklin
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Vigil; Thomas R.
Claims
I claim:
1. Outboard motor locking means adapted to be fixed to the transom
of a boat and comprising means for receiving an outboard motor
mounting clamp for an outboard motor, means for enclosing the
mounting clamp and said receiving means and means for securing said
enclosing means to said receiving means, said receiving means being
fixable to the transom of the boat and including a member which is
fixed to the inside wall of the transom, said member having two
parallel spaced, clamp screw-receiving slots for receiving,
respectively, two clamp screws of the outboard motor mounting
clamp, said enclosing means including a cover pivotally mounted to
said member and adapted to be received over the outer ends of the
clamp screws of the outboard motor mounting clamp, and said
securing means being operable to lock said cover to said member and
over said outboard motor mounting clamp.
2. The outboard motor locking means according to claim 1 wherein
said securing means includes a latch member on said cover and said
member has a catch member mounted thereto in position to receive
said latch member and a key operated lock for locking said latch
member in said catch member.
3. The outboard motor locking means according to claim 1 wherein
said member is a block and wherein said outboard motor locking
means further comprise means for locking the mounting clamp to said
block.
4. The outboard motor locking means according to claim 3 wherein
said means for locking said mounting clamp to said block include
means mounted within said block for latching said clamp screws
within said clamp screw-receiving slots.
5. The outboard motor locking means according to claim 4 wherein
said means for latching said clamp screws in said clamp receiving
slots includes a pair of axially spaced and parallel spaced pin
holes in said block, each pin hole extending transverse to and
across one of said slots, a pair of latch pins each movable
laterally of said slots in respective ones of said pin holes, a
cavity between and communicating with said pin holes, an arm
pivotally mounted about a midpoint thereof within said cavity, the
inner end of each latch pin being pivotally mounted to one end of
said arm and a key operated lock connected to said arm for rotating
said arm to move the respective latch pins inwardly and outwardly
of said pin holes and into and out of respective latch positions
extending across said clamp screws receiving slots.
6. Outboard motor locking means adapted to be fixed to the transom
of a boat and comprising means for receiving an outboard motor
mounting clamp for an outboard motor and means for locking the
mounting clamp to the receiving means, said receiving means being
fixable to the transom of the boat and including a block fixed to
the inside wall of the transom, said block having two parallel
spaced, clamp screw-receiving slots for receiving, respectively,
two clamp screws of the outboard motor mounting clamp, and said
locking means including means mounted within said block for
latching said clamp screws within said clamp screw-receiving slots,
said means for latching said clamp screws in said clamp
screw-receiving slots including a pair of axially spaced and
parallel spaced pin holes in said block, each pin hole extending
transverse to and across one of said slots, a pair of latch pins,
each movable laterally of said slots into respective ones of said
pin holes, a cavity between and communicating with said pin holes,
an arm pivotally mounted about a midpoint thereof within said
cavity, the inner end of each latch pin being pivotally mounted to
one end of said arm and a key operated lock connected to said arm
for rotating said arm to move the respective latch pins inwardly
and outwardly of said pin holes and into and out of respective
latch positions extending across said clamp screw-receiving
slots.
7. The outboard motor locking means according to claim 6 including
a cover pivotally mounted to said block and adapted to be received
over the outer ends of the clamp screws of the outboard motor
mounting clamp and means for locking the cover to said block and
over said outboard motor mounting clamp.
8. The outboard motor locking means according to claim 6 wherein
said cover includes a latch member and said block has a catch
member mounted thereto in position to receive said latch member and
a key operated lock for locking said latch member in said catch
member.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The field of the invention is locking devices, and particularly a
locking device for locking an outboard motor to the transom of a
boat.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Heretofore various means have been provided for locking an outboard
motor to a rowboat. Typically, such locking means have included a
chain coupled around a portion of the mounting clamps for the
outboard motor, through an eyelet or ring mounted to the boat and
secured in place by a padlock. Sometimes the chain would be a long
chain and would extend around a seat of the boat formed by a plank
extending across the boat. These prior means, particularly a chain
for locking an outboard motor to a rowboat, have not always been
successful in preventing theft of the outboard motor. In this
respect, the eyelet or ring often can be unscrewed from the boat
and often it is easy to cut through the chain.
As will be described in greater detail hereinafter, the outboard
motor locking device of the present invention provides means for
locking the outboard motor directly to the transom of the boat in
such a way that it is very difficult and awkward to break through
the locking device to unlock and remove the outboard motor from the
transom of the rowboat.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the invention there are provided outboard motor
locking means adapted to be fixed to the transom of a boat and
comprising means for receiving an outboard motor mounting clamp for
an outboard motor, means for enclosing the mounting clamp and said
receiving means and means for securing said enclosing means to said
receiving means, said receiving means being fixable to the transom
of the boat and including a member which is fixed to the inside
wall of the transom, said member having two parallel spaced, clamp
screw-receiving slots for receiving, respectively, two clamp screws
of the outboard motor mounting clamp, said enclosing means
including a cover pivotally mounted to said member and adapted to
be received over the outer ends of the clamp screws of the outboard
motor mounting clamp, and said securing means being operable to
lock said cover to said member and over said outboard motor
mounting clamp.
Further according to the invention there are provided outboard
motor locking means adapted to be fixed to the transom of a boat
and comprising means for receiving an outboard motor mounting clamp
for an outboard motor and means for locking the mounting clamp to
the receiving means, said receiving means being fixable to the
transom of the boat and including a block fixed to the inside wall
of the transom, said block having two parallel spaced, clamp
screw-receiving slots for receiving, respectively, two clamp screws
of the outboard motor mounting clamp, and said locking means
including means mounted within said block for latching said clamp
screws within said clamp screw-receiving slots, said means for
latching said clamp screws in said clamp screw-receiving slots
including a pair of axially spaced and parallel spaced pin holes in
said block, each pin hole extending transverse to and across one of
said slots, a pair of latch pins, each movable laterally of said
slots into respective ones of said pin holes, a cavity between and
communicating with said pin holes, an arm pivotally mounted about a
midpoint thereof within said cavity, the inner end of each latch
pin being pivotally mounted to one end of said arm and a key
operated lock connected to said arm for rotating said arm to move
the respective latch pins inwardly and outwardly of said pin holes
and into and out of respective latch positions extending across
said clamp screw-receiving slots.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is an elevational view of an outboard motor mounted to the
transom of a rowboat with portions broken away to show the outboard
motor locking device of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of an outboard motor
mounting clamp and the outboard motor locking device of the present
invention.
FIG. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view similar to FIG. 2 and
showing the mounting clamp received within a mounting block of the
outboard motor locking device with a cover of the device received
over a portion of the mounting clamp and locked in place.
FIG. 4 is a generally vertical sectional view taken along line 4--4
of FIG. 1.
FIG. 5 is a generally horizontal sectional view taken along line
5--5 of FIG. 4.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring now to the drawings in greater detail, there is
illustrated in FIG. 1 an outboard motor 10 having a motor mounting
clamp 12 for mounting the motor 10 to the transom 14 of a rowboat
16.
As best shown in FIG. 2, the outboard motor mounting clamp 12
includes two parallel spaced U shaped members 18 and 20. One leg of
each U shaped member, 18 and 20, e.g., leg member 22 of U shaped
member 18, is fixed to the outboard motor 10 and the other leg
26,28 is received over the transom 14. Mounted at the bottom end of
each leg 26,28 is a clamp screw 30,32 which is threadingly received
through a threaded bore extending through the lower end of each of
the legs 26 and 28. Each of the clamp screws 30 and 32 forms a C
clamp with the U shaped member 18 or 20 for clamping to the transom
14. Also as shown, each clamp screw, 30,32 has a conventional disc
shaped clamping head on an inner end thereof located within the U
of the U shaped member 18 or 20 and a finger manipulatable wing at
the outer end thereof to facilitate manual manipulation and turning
of the clamp screw 30 or 32.
As shown in the drawings, an outboard motor locking device 40 made
in accordance with the teachings of the present invention is
secured to an inner wall 42 of the transom 14. The outboard motor
locking device 40 includes a rectangular mounting block 44 which is
fixed by a plurality of bolts 46 to the wall 42 of the transom 14.
The block 44 has two downwardly extending T cross section clamp
screw receiving slots 50 and 52 (FIGS. 2, 4 and 5) which are
adapted to receive respectively the clamp screws 30 and 32 and the
disc heads at the end thereof.
A mechanism for locking the clamp screws 30 and 32 in the slots 50
and 52 is provided in the block 44 and includes an upper, laterally
extending pin hole 60 which traverses and extends across the clamp
screw receiving slot 50 and a lower pin hole 62 which traverses and
extends across the clamp screw receiving slot 52. The pin holes 60
and 62 are axially spaced apart and parallel spaced within the
block 44. The pin holes 60 and 62 communicate with a cavity 64
located centrally of and within the block 42. An arm 66 is
rotatably mounted about a midpoint thereof within the cavity 64. A
pin 70 is movably received in the pin hole 60 and a pin 72 is
movably received within the pin hole 62. An inner end 74 of the pin
70 is pivotally connected to one end 76 of the arm 66. Likewise, an
inner end 78 of the pin 72 is pivotally connected to an opposite
end 80 of the arm 66.
A key operated lock 82 is mounted on the outside of the block 42
and extends through the block 44 to the cavity 64 and is fixed to
the arm 66. By inserting a key into the lock 82, one can rotate the
arm 66 to move the pins 70 and 72 into or out of respective pin
holes 60 and 62 and into and out of latching positions extending
across the respective slots 50 and 52.
When the pins 70 and 72 are in a latching position as shown in FIG.
5, they extend over the clamp screws 30 and 32 and prevent the
motor mounting clamp 12 and the motor 10 from being raised off of
the transom 14. In this way, the outboard motor locking device 40
locks the outboard motor 10 to the transom 14 of the boat 16.
Since it is possible that one could shear the pins 70, 72 or shear
the clamp screws 30, 32 to unlock the outboard motor from the
locking device 40, the locking device 40 also includes a cover 90
which has one side wall 92 thereof pivotally mounted along one side
94 of the block 44. The cover 90 is rotatable about the pivot
mounting between an open position shown in FIG. 2 and a closed
position shown in FIGS. 1, 3, 4, and 5 where the cover extends over
part of the legs 26 and 28 of the mounting clamp 12 and over the
clamp screws 30 and 32. On the outside of an opposite wall 96 of
the cover 90 is mounted a key operated lock 98 which is connected
to a latch member 100 on the inside of the side wall 96. The latch
member 100 is adapted to be received within a catch member 102
mounted on the other side 104 of the block 44.
It will be appreciated that when the cover 90 is moved to a closed
position over the ends of the clamp screws 30 and 32, the latch 100
is received in the catch member 102 and a key can be inserted into
the lock 96 for rotating the latch member 100 to a latch position
within the catch member 102. In this way the outboard motor 10 is
double locked by the locking device 40 of the present
invention.
It will be appreciated that the locking device 40 of the present
invention has a number of advantages some of which have been
described above and others of which are inherent in the invention.
More specifically, the locking device 40 provides a double locking
of an outboard motor 10 to the transom 14 of a boat 16 and is
constructed and arranged so that it is very difficult to break
through the locking device 40 to remove the outboard motor 10 from
the transom 14 of the boat 16.
Also it will be understood that obvious modifications and
variations can be made to the outboard motor locking device 40 of
the present invention without departing from the teachings of the
invention. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is only to be
limited as necessitated by the accompanying claims.
* * * * *